Month: October 2007

Each generation represents a step away from the two dimensional genre, so its refreshing when a title such as Guilty Gear Core lands on Gamestyle’s desk. Beat ‘em ups nowadays are a pale imitation of what they once were and have become bloated, unresponsive, full of novelty characters and frankly dull in comparison to their forbearers. So can Guilty Gear Core continue the fight and show that such titles remain a viable option?

The simple answer without hesitation is yes, but first lets dispense with the storyline. Any seasoned gamer will know that such commodities in this genre only exist to create a platform for a punch up. Thankfully Gear Guilty does not have aspirations above its station, instead content to overhaul the mix of characters and presentation on offer including two fighters new to Western gamers. 505 Games have also seen fit to shorten the elaborate American title Guilty Gear XX Accent Core to something a little more digestible, although the cover art still boast the extra strong motif.

The novelty factor with this release is the inclusion of a control method that attempts to match a fluid fighting system to the Wii Remote. Despite the work that has gone into attempting this feat, ultimately it just doesnt work with such a fast paced experience. The Wii Remote handles punch, kick, slash and the heavy slash, while the nunchuk covers actual movement, guard and jumping actions. Even on paper it seems convoluted and despite some effort trying to come to terms with the system, it fails to deflate Gamestyle’s initial scepticism.

Guilty Gear Core as with any release in the series is all about fluid fighting movements that are linked together to form a devastating chain. The Wii Remote with the nunchuk cannot cope with the sensitivity and rapid fire of commands that are essential to winning a bout. Shaking the remote may work for titles such as Cooking Mama or specific movements, but to try and map a fighting system just doesnt work.

An admission of some sorts from the developer is that Guilty Gear Core supports a variety of control options including the Gamecube and classic controllers. Either option is a lifesaver and the only way to truly appreciate what a brilliant fighting experience Core represents. Of course Nintendo Wii owners bought the system in pursuit of motion sensitive pleasures. In our opinion after a series of short-lived and repetitive Wii titles, one that offers a challenge and experience such as this is very much a minority on the console, and deserves better.

Visually Core is as brash and colourful as any arcade beat em up can hope to be nowadays. Each character is distinctive and expertly balanced so that one does not have an unfair advantage over the rest of the roster. The action flows fluidly with a top gear frame rate that does not stutter or falter, even during the most frantic and visually stunning attacks. While the animation is impressive, arguably the characters and environments could to with a final polish to remove some rough edges. However that is the only technical criticism Gamestyle can levee against Guilty Gear Core, as the audio is suitably arcade in nature and you could easily imagine it blaring out in your local amusement hall.

The staple modes are offered in what is a comprehensive package, including a detailed training option that allows you to polish your fighting skills. The expected arcade, CPU and two player offerings are also in place. The only real deviation from the norm is the MOM mode where the knockout format allows you to pick up medals that in turn boost your multiplier. Its nothing sizeable and Gamestyle could argue that the time for a similar option to that seen in Virtua Fighter is now warranted, given the history of this series. Even the most hardened followers may suggest that not enough is included here to warrant upgrading from the previous edition. Certainly minus the Wii controller scheme, Guilty Gear Core is playing it safe and treading water.

Aficionados of the beat em up genre will know all about the Guilty Gear series, however the vast majority of Nintendo Wii owners are casual gamers and probably without a Gamecube or classic controller. Gamestyle promises for those that do make the required double purchase, a game that is the best fighting experience on the system.